Kent rural bus routes cut to save County Council money

Kent County Council says it cannot afford to support the under-used bus services any longer

Dozens of bus routes are to be cut across Kent, in an effort to save the county council £2.2m.

The 38 services facing the axe are all subsidised by the authority and mainly serve rural areas.

Kent's Bus Improvement Plan received £35m from government, but that cannot be used to support existing routes.

Kent County Council's David Brazier said it must "produce a balanced budget and prioritise the services that we are obliged by law to provide".

Norman Kemp owns Aylesford-based operator Nu Venture, which runs buses in Maidstone, Tonbridge, Malling and the Medway towns.

He said the routes being cut were "life lines" for the communities they serve and added that he was concerned for the future of the remaining services being supported by the council.

"If people don't use them in sufficient numbers to pay the driver and fuel costs, Kent can't keep on paying for them," he said.

"They need to find a long-term way to maintain sustainability."

Mr Brazier said the council was "seeing a dramatic rise in the need for services across all areas of the authority and an increase in the cost of running them".

"We must make sure that we can produce a balanced budget and prioritise the services that we are obliged by law to provide to the people of Kent," he added.

Five Kent Karrier services, which provide dial a ride services to the elderly and disabled and were also under threat, have been saved.

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